The founding of the Art in Embassies program and the misrepresentation of American art.

Abstract

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s New York’s Museum of Modern Art commodified the paintings of Abstract Expressionist artists. By commodifying the artwork, the Museum of Modern Art could then present it as a product of American capitalism thereby making it a powerful diplomatic tool for Cold War diplomacy. This was achieved through the Museum of Modern Art’s curatorial decisions, exhibitions, covert dealings by the Museum’s leadership, and formalist analysis during the period. Formalist analysis is focused on aestheticizing works of art. The State Department’s Art in Embassies Program was directly influenced by the Museum of Modern Art and practiced the same commodification in its curatorial practices for exhibiting not only Abstract Expressionist but also Pop art. This curatorial practice undermined the anti-capitalist goals of both Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art